


a reservoir full of you

by axc_el



Series: HQ Soulmate Aus!! [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:55:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23925736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/axc_el/pseuds/axc_el
Summary: It had been years since the last message.He watched aimlessly as new words made themselves known on his forearm, the ink flowing as easily as breathing."Do I know you?" was all he could make out before it was inevitably smudged, smearing across his skin in ugly streaks.His soulmate was an idiot, and Iwaizumi was about to lose his damn mind.Alternatively, a Soulmate AU in which whatever you write on your skin shows up on the other person's skin.
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: HQ Soulmate Aus!! [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1746148
Comments: 8
Kudos: 128





	a reservoir full of you

The first time Iwaizumi got a message from his soulmate, he was eight. Assuming that his "other half" was the same age as him, it didn't come as much of a surprise that they shared a few interests. And even if they didn't, the effort was there.

_"Do you believe in aliens?"_ was sloppily written out on the back of his hand, the question mark at the end horribly off-center. He had felt a strange sense of numbness back then, his fingers pushing at his skin as he watched the words ripple. He never answered.

A week had passed, and there was no sign of any more messages. At that point, Iwaizumi dismissed the previous event as nothing more than a fluke; maybe just a weird daydream of his. It wouldn't be the first time. 

Sometimes he would catch his mother doodling on herself, singing quietly while the colorful flowers on her skin were brought to life before his very eyes. And from across the room, his father would smile and shake his head, his arms but a canvas for his mother. 

"Mom, what's a soulmate?" Iwaizumi looked up into his mother's eyes and found a whimsical sparkle in their depth, a certain _something_ dancing away. "Is it like having a best friend?" 

She patted his head, lightly ruffling his hair. "Kind of," she stuck a finger to her bottom lip, chewing it in concentration. "It's a best friend that the universe chose just for you." 

"What if you don't have a soulmate? How do you know if you even have one?" His hands wandered to the spot where the message had first appeared a week ago on autopilot, rubbing it self-consciously. "Would you be able to have friends that aren't your soulmate?" 

She giggled, turning around and grabbing a marker out of seemingly nowhere. "That's a lot of questions! But to answer a few, it's okay to not have a soulmate, and it's okay to be friends with people who aren't your soulmate. And as for finding out whether you have one or not..." She uncapped the marker, sticking out a hand for Iwaizumi to take which he did so hesitantly. She turned his hand in her own, tracing elaborate patterns on it with her fingers before going over them in marker, a light blue now decorating his skin.

He felt a sharp prick in the back of his mind and he winced, yanking his hand away from his mother and into his chest. He clenched and unclenched his fists, bunching his shirt and letting the feel of the fabric ground him a little. Once the pain was somewhat dulled, he met his mother's wide eyes, her gaze fixed on the new red swirls accompanying the blue designs on his hand. 

_Wait, red swirls?_

Iwaizumi's eyes widened, and he looked to his mother for some sort of confirmation but quickly found himself in a tight grip, his mother's arms pulling him close while she whispered excitedly into his hair. 

"You have one, Hajime, look! Your soulmate is saying hi!"

He did his best to twist around in his mother's hold, managing to free one of his arms to get a better look. Alongside his mother's drawings were swirls of red, yellow, green, and pretty much every other color under the sun. It may not have been the prettiest thing, but Iwaizumi felt his heart soar at the thought that this drawing was solely _theirs_ , and _theirs_ alone. 

Words flowed onto his already marked skin at an alarming pace, his eyes barely keeping up with what was being written. A lot of exclamation points and smiley faces, and the repeated phrase in a bold black: 

_"You exist?"_

This time, Iwaizumi found another marker and answered, his heart thundering away the entire time he held it in his hands, a spark lighting itself in the tips of his fingers. 

_"Yeah,"_ he wrote back. 

The spark went cold and no further response was given, but Iwaizumi couldn't find himself caring all that much. The knowledge that somebody was out there, waiting for him, was enough to keep that spark alive on his end. 

He never knew how long he'd have to keep that spark going, however, and by the next time he'd feel anything from the other side of the bond, it would have been years. 

After nothing but silence for more than half of his life, Iwaizumi was allowed to be pissed at his supposed other half, best friend, and whatever else people were calling their soulmates nowadays. It wasn't like it really mattered to him, anyways. 

There were only so many things he actually _knew_ and didn't just guess at. He knew what a kiss was supposed to look like. He knew that hugging was one of the hundreds of ways to tell someone you care for them. He knew he had a soulmate. He didn't know how old they were, their gender, their favorite food, if they were a cat or a dog person, or if they were even alive. That was the reality of things. 

Occasionally he'd forget his soulmate altogether, and he'd feel just that tiny bit better about himself. 

_The only word he's ever said to his soulmate was "yeah." His soulmate doesn't know the next thing about him, either_.

He shivered as the bite of the morning chill swept over him, his feet stopping for just a moment. He spared a glance at the rising sun while he continued his early jog, feeling an inexplicable sense of breathlessness well up inside of his chest. A small tingle ran up the back of his legs and he knew in that very moment, he and his soulmate shared something beyond the bond that was placed upon them. His mind flashed back to memories of intricate swirls and patterns that adorned his hands, soon enough traveling up to cover his arms, as well. 

Iwaizumi sighed and breathed in the crisp air, squatting down to take a few seconds for himself. He was having _thoughts_ again, damn it all. Adjusting the strap of his bag over his shoulder, he briefly entertained the idea of simply grabbing a marker, pen—anything, really—before his inner monologue was interrupted by a pair of feet stopping right in front of him. 

"Are you okay? Why are you just sitting here?" A smooth voice asked from above, and he couldn't help the small beat his heart skipped. He furrowed his brows, a hand quickly coming to poke at his questionably pounding heart. The hell?

"I'm fine," he managed to say, voice rough from being both out of breath and getting caught off guard. Bringing his eyes to the other's face, he doubted he could've gotten up even if he wanted to. "Don't worry about it too much."

"Do you need help?" Was it just him or was the other blushing? Great, now he was blushing, too.

"No, thanks." Iwaizumi brushed himself off, doing his best to look anywhere but at the man in front of him, his warm brown eyes shining down on him in the glow of the morning sun. His hair just looked so _soft_ and Iwaizumi wanted nothing more than to run his fingers through it, to feel the strands catching on his fingers—

He pinched his arm as hard as he could, ignoring the strange look that flashed on the other man's face. He shouldn't be daydreaming like this; he thought he had made that clear with himself the moment he realized that his soulmate just didn't care.

Running as fast as he could, Iwaizumi booked it to the school's front gates, not even bothering to say goodbye. He caught a few glances being thrown his way, but he couldn't blame them. He was a sweaty mess, and it was barely past eight in the morning. 

He slumped in his seat, head pressed down onto the cool surface of the desk while the rest of the students came pouring in. He felt something being pressed to the back of his head and he took a hold of it, soon finding a cold can of coffee in his hands. He wearily raised his head, locking eyes with Matsukawa. 

"Yo," he greeted, stealing a nearby chair and swinging it over to Iwaizumi's spot, seating himself. "You look like shit." 

"Gee, thanks," Iwaizumi huffed. 

"Just telling you how I see it, nothing more and nothing less." Matsukawa yawned, perking up slightly when Hanamaki slid the door open, walking over and joining them. "Oh, you're here." 

"Where else would I be?" Hanamaki leaned over Matsukawa's chair and propped his chin on top of the now slightly more awake Matsukawa's head. "Good morning, idiots."

Iwaizumi groaned. "It's too damn early for this." He shifted in his seat, cradling his head in his arms. "Save it for later, please." 

Hanamaki only smirked, wrapping his arms around Matsukawa's shoulders. "What, jealous?" At the lack of a response, his eyes widened and he quickly backtracked. "Wait, deadass? Did something happen?" 

"No." Yes. For the first time since he was eight, Iwaizumi felt _alive._ However brief his encounter was, there was something about the other man that made him all warm inside. It irked him, honestly. "Shut up." 

"Did 'it' finally happen?" Matsukawa was now fully awake, which was never a good sign. The more awake he was, the bigger the bastard he became in Iwaizumi's eyes. It was only worse when Hanamaki was involved, too. 

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Iwaizumi lied. He averted his gaze from the knowing grins the two of them wore and did his best to shut everything out, his eyes eventually closing. 

He dreamt of soft, tousled hair tickling his neck, and kisses being peppered along the edge of his jawline. He dreamt of two strong arms encircling him, not constricting but just _there._ He dreamed for that was all he could do.

Iwaizumi woke up to Hanamaki furiously whispering to Matsukawa, his finger jabbing at his chest. He already felt a headache coming on.

_"You_ tell him!" Hanamaki grabbed Matsukawa's shoulders and all but shoved him towards Iwaizumi. Iwaizumi raised a hand and massaged his temples, deciding not to comment on their shiftiness. Matsukawa's eyes darted to the movement, his mouth going visibly dry at whatever was on Iwaizumi's skin. 

"Oh for fuck's sake," Iwaizumi abruptly rose, his chair skittering with a screech. "What is it?" Neither of them said anything and he was getting more agitated by the second, an indescribable prick constantly stabbing him in the neck. He swung an arm out behind him, stopping when a neat, flowing script caught his eye. He could feel both Hanamaki and Matsukawa suck in a sharp breath, and something inside of him snapped. 

It had been years since the last message. Why did it have to be now of all times? 

He watched aimlessly as new words made themselves known on his forearm, the ink flowing as easily as breathing.

_"Do I know you?"_ was all he could make out before it was inevitably smudged, smearing across his skin in ugly streaks.

His soulmate was an idiot, and Iwaizumi was about to lose his damn mind.

"There were a few more before that one," Matsukawa started, his hands shakily drifting towards Iwaizumi, not dissimilar to the way one would calm down a rampaging beast. "But I thought you didn't have a soulmate?" 

"I don't," was all Iwaizumi said. He snatched a pen from his desk and uncapped it, the felt tip just barely touching his skin before another message appeared, this one accompanied by a crude drawing of a frowning stick figure. 

_"I'm sorry."_

Iwaizumi pushed on, projecting years of frustration and hurt into two measly words. 

_"Don't bother."_

He proceeded to ignore any and all further messages for the rest of the day, both of his arms covered in relentless apologies and a few absent-minded doodles. It was good to know that his soulmate was as fickle as he came to know; that there was a constant in the inconsistency. After about five too many questions from both people he knew and never heard of, Iwaizumi unrolled his sleeves so that they covered his arms. 

"Why don't you just talk to them?" Matsukawa suggested while chewing on a piece of jerky. "It's not like you have anything to lose." 

Iwaizumi glared at him, letting his chopsticks fall back into his bento box. "Is there a point? They could just disappear for all I care," he huffed once more and stuffed another bite of his lunch into his mouth.

"You know you don't mean that," Hanamaki quipped from the sides. "Just look at how much just _hearing from them_ has got you worked up." He leaned back, propping his head against the fences surrounding the rooftop they were currently on. Iwaizumi thought it ironic how the breeze blew lightly over himself, along with the warm blanket of the sun; today just wasn't the day for nice weather. 

"Why I'm _"worked up"_ isn't because I'm happy, Hanamaki. If anything, I'm pissed as hell." 

"As you reasonably are," Matsukawa stepped in, placing a warm hand on his shoulder. Iwaizumi met his level gaze with little defiance, and let him continue. "But that doesn't mean the whole thing is done and over with. You still have a chance." 

"I just have way too many questions." Iwaizumi clenched his fists, the grip on his lunch starting to strain. "Like, why?" Even now, the messages were still coming, a thousand bug bites all at once. Was there even any room left for them? 

Hanamaki got to his feet and took Iwaizumi's lunch from his hands, placing it by his feet instead. He grabbed a pen from his pocket and threw it at Iwaizumi's chest, leveling him with a steely gaze and watching as the pen fell into his lap. 

"Use it," he said. "And your brain, too, while you're at it." 

Iwaizumi fiddled with the pen, worrying at his lip. The other had already apologized, and what had they gotten in return? 

_A giant "fuck you," apparently._

He glared at the pen in his hands as if it were the cause for all of his problems. He guessed in a way, it was. 

Hanamaki leaned over him, grumbling slightly when he saw that the pen was still in his hands, unmoving. "Just write your name or something. If you're lucky, they might know you." 

Iwaizumi gave him a non-committal grunt, writing down his name in the open space of his bare palm. "You'd think I'd have known by now if I've met them yet." 

"You never know," chirped Matsukawa. "Me and Makki here didn't know until a few weeks ago." Iwaizumi gagged at the obvious lingering tension between his two friends, and he briefly wondered if that's what he and his soulmate were going to end up like. Would they be the insufferable lovey-dovey couple? Would they decide to stay as friends rather than lovers? Would they despise each other? 

Too many questions, and not enough time. 

Iwaizumi felt another prick at the base of his hand, a sign that he came to recognize as what was basically a flag for new messages. 

_"Can I see you?"_ Iwaizumi waited for just a beat before another message soon followed: _"I'm Oikawa Tooru, by the way."_

"Ooh, we got a name?" Hanamaki grinned wolfishly. "Gimme, gimme. I need to see what I'm working with." 

Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow, his face incredulous. At his friend's insistent motions and pout, he eventually relented, giving Hanamaki his hand. 

"Oikawa… Tooru?" There was something about the way that the syllables flowed that Iwaizumi couldn't help but shiver slightly at, and if either Hanamaki or Matsukawa noticed, nobody said anything. "I feel like I might know them." Hanamaki set down his hand, casting a glance over to Matsukawa who nodded. 

"Isn't he literally down the hall? The popular one?" Matsukawa wrinkled his nose, slight disdain in his voice. "How haven't we heard of him? This is weird." 

"Can't get any weirder than this," Hanamaki grunted and dragged the other two back to the classrooms, leaving their unfinished lunches on the rooftop. "Let's go say hi." 

"Are you _insane?"_ Iwaizumi hissed, yanking his arm out of Hanamaki's grip. "I think the fuck not." 

Without noticing, he had backed up into a tall figure who let out a small noise upon contact, and something about the general feel of the other man set off a few flags in Iwaizumi's brain. 

_Oh, shit._

"Uh, are you guys looking for someone? I don't recognize any of you." Oikawa gave them a helpless look and fidgeted with his sleeves, countless words and markings from ink peeking from beneath them. He then locked eyes with Iwaizumi and it was as if a bomb went off inside of his chest; not exactly a pleasant experience, but definitely one hell of a surprise. 

Oikawa blinked, his mouth gaping wide open like a fish. "Oh." His eyes widened and he covered his mouth in an attempt to stifle his yelp, and Iwaizumi could see hints of his name on the other's palm. _"Oh!"_

Matsukawa shot Hanamaki a look, and the two slinked off, leaving Iwaizumi to deal with the issue standing in front of him. 

"Wait, aren't you from this morning?" Oikawa took a step towards him, circling around his back. He turned to face Iwaizumi again, giving him a small smile. "I'm sorry if this sounds weird, but can you give me your hand?" 

Wordlessly, Iwaizumi stuck out his palm, a silent heat creeping up his sides as he watched Oikawa take a hold of his hand and bring it up to his face. The words on his skin nearly burned him alive. "Where have you been my whole life, Iwa-chan?" 

_"Iwa-chan?"_ Iwaizumi questioned. Oikawa only laughed, grabbing his other hand and swinging them happily. He then pulled him into a hug, cradling the back of Iwaizumi's head with one hand and circling his waist with the other. 

"I'm sorry I couldn't talk to you sooner." His arms tightened around Iwaizumi's frame and his breath hitched, if only slightly. "Something came up." 

"Dumbass," Iwaizumi chided, hugging Oikawa back twice as hard. His eyes started to sting a little, and he buried his face in the other's shoulder. "Don't do that shit again." 

Oikawa smiled into his hair, kissing it softly. "I don't plan on it, believe me." 

Iwaizumi always knew he had a soulmate. While he didn't know what they liked, what their favorite color was, or if they still believed in aliens, knowing their name was always an excellent first step. 

"I'm glad you exist, Iwaizumi." 

"Likewise, dumbass Oikawa."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! Comments and kudos fuel me! :D


End file.
